World Vision Albania Situation Report November 26 – December 24, 2019 Earthquake Response Published December, 2019 © World Vision International 1. General information Country / location of Municipalities of: Durres, Kamez, Kurbin, Lezhe, and Tirana, - Albania emergency 51 killed (including seven children) 913 hurt and hospitalized According to the official declaration of the Committee of the Emergency 2 , on 11th Dec.2019: 13,294 citizens affected: Estimated number of 4,149 are accommodated in hotels, people affected1 7,383 in tents, 395 in social centers and 254 in gyms. More than 1,000 other people have found refuge in cities around the country and in Kosovo. Among these at least 2,000 children. Category - CAT 1 Category of Level 1 of response as per World Vision International emergency response Emergency & Response categories Declared on 27th November 20193. Durres Area Programme (AP) – Keneta, Porto Romano, Spitalle, and Sukth WV programme Kurbin Area Programme (AP) – Lac, Mamurras, and Milot locations Lezha Area Programme (AP) – Balldre, Kolsh, and Zejmen Tirana Area Programme (AP) – Kamez, Bathore, and Bregu i Lumit Duration of response Provisional response timeframe – 26 November 2019 – 30 September 2020 2. WVA coverage for the reporting period Main highlights • Since 26th of November, World Vision Albania (WVA) coordinated support and efforts for assisting the affected populations in the affected areas, with Government of Albania (GoA), International Organizations (I/NGOs) and local and national Non-Government organizations (NGOs). • Rapid Assessment to identify needs in affected areas conducted in less than a week through WV staff and volunteers (students of the Social Sciences Faculty, University of Tirana). Basic Rapid Assessment Tool (BRAT) used in interviews with 511 households comprised of a total of 2,460 members and 7 community leaders. Report shared on December 11th with Inter-ministerial Committee on Emergency (reps. from GoA, INGOs, and NGOs). • Following the rapid assessment, a nine month Emergency Response Plan was compiled, shared for feedback and approved by WVA National Director (ND). • WVA is active contributor in all emergency coordination platforms called by the government or the EU Civic Protection and will continue to do so as needed. • WVA is co-leading the Protection working group with UNICEF, and an active member of the Education, Shelter/NFI, and CASH working groups. Three key messaging points • Collaborating and coordinating efforts for the emergency response should be channelled, and support should be provided for easing the needs. • The rapid assessment confirmed that the key concern of affected population in all sites is shelter, with Kurbin municipality (94%) having the highest reports. • Distress and post-trauma symptoms are more prevalent in the population living in their damaged houses (85.2%) and tents (88.4%) compared to those living in hotels (61.1%). • Second most important problem is that affected population reported high levels of symptoms (among children and adults) such as fear, anxiety, sleep deprivation and loss of appetite. • Children are identified from 51% of families as the most vulnerable group within the affected population, with 1 World Vision Albania, Emergency Response Plan, “Earthquake Response Strategy”. December 2019. 2 Komiteti Nderministror per Emergjencen, December 11, 2019 3 E-mail thread: National director communication: World Vision declares CAT I National Response to meet critical needs in Albania earthquake crisis: 11/27/2019 11:46 AM) 74% of them being scared and traumatized as reported by parents. Humanitarian accountability Although a lot has been done in the coordination amongst involved organizations, agencies and the government to ease the situation, information and accountability toward citizens should be highly considered when approaching affected areas. According to the rapid assessment report recommendations, attention should be paid continuously to affected areas in: - Providing continuous information on earthquake response services through preferred channels such as TV and Local Authorities. - Considering prioritizing timely support to Kurbin municipality alongside with other affected areas. Assessments findings suggest that HHs in Kurbin experience multiple vulnerability factors such as: damaged houses, prevalence of disability and poverty. - Urgent action needs to be taken for winterization items and hygiene kits for affected families. - Urgent action needs to be taken for winterization supplies (heating and blankets) for affected families living in tents. - A more in depth survey should be done for exploring protection issues in hotels and other designated facilities for sheltering affected population. From field observations parents are either reluctant or unaware of child protection threats their children might be exposed to. - Include Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) plans in schools and in community led by local government. - Consider other potential options that surveyed HHs have suggested like:1) cash transfers; 2) provision of NFIs; 3) safe shelter and 4) advocacy to authorities for shelter rights and protection. - Ensure psychosocial support is provided in all sites where affected population are sheltered i.e: tents and damaged houses. - Children should be of primary consideration in every measure taken by all stakeholders in every sector: protection, education, health, shelter, wash, food and NFI’s. - Enforce the bylaw 568/18 date 03 December 2019 of the MoESY on school preparedness plans and make this plan available to the parents. Situation overview (political and security) The inter-ministerial Committee4 so far has declared that in the affected areas 14,069 buildings have been inspected. 261 heavily damaged mansions are declared uninhabitable. 2,237 uninhabited dwellings, 851 mansions of medium and light damage and 4,618 mild medium damage dwellings. 36 schools have been heavily damaged, six schools have been moderately damaged and 176 have some damage. Furthermore, 24 health facilities have been severely damaged. Houses in the remote areas have not been inspected yet and the government is not able to set a date for the inspections. The total economic damage (capital stock) is estimated at $820 million5. - Political and Security situation The Government of Albania (GoA), through the Decision of the Minister’s Council (DMC) No. 750/ 2019, declared the emergency state for at least 30 days in the regions of Tirana and Durres as the areas most affected, on the 27th of November 2019. As a result, an Inter-Ministerial Civil Emergencies Committee (IMCEC) was created, making it the leading and coordinating unit for all the work and interventions planned to happen in both regions. IMCEC is the highest unit coordinating the work of the GoA, private sector and raising financial incomes for responding to the emergency situation. The IMCEC unit is composed by several ministries6, Armed Forces, State Police and Prefectures of Tirana and Durres. Following up the declaring of the emergency state, the compensation of damaged to the property will be defined through another specific DMC. This DCM defines roles and responsibilities of (i) public institutions; (ii) operational structures of civil protection; (iii) private subjects and (iv) citizens. (I) Public institutions are entitled to design interventions both in the organizational and administrative aspects to adapt to the emergency response; using financial resources by allocating and revising budget expenditures; use in the emergency response all human and logistic resources; identify public institutions under their administration for accommodating the evacuated population; procurement procedures in the emergency state should be substituted by written consents; all ministries are requested to have working groups for coordinating aid with the structures of civil protection. (II) The operational structures of the civil protection: are in charge to establish and implement special 4 World Vision Albania, Emergency Response Plan, “Earthquake Response Strategy”. December 2019. 5 Albania Earthquake: Global Rapid Post Disaster Damage Estimation (GRADE) Report, World Bank. December 2019. 6 Ministry of Defense; Ministry of Health and Social Protection; Ministry of Finance and Economy; Ministry of Infrastructure and Energy; Ministry of Tourism and Environment; Ministry of Education, Sports and Youth; The General Directorate of the National Agency of Civil Protection; Armed Forces General Head of Unit; General Directorate of State Police; Prefects of Tirana and Durres. measures to guarantee security aspects in the areas affected by the emergency; design and implement procedures for the evaluation of the affected population; organize continuous searching procedures in collaboration with the community to finding survivals/ victims in the aftermath of the earthquake and also are charged with the procedures of the funerals services. (III) Private sector: respect procedures and measures for the evaluation and sheltering of the evacuated population; inform and coordinate with the institutions and structures of civil protection for the response interventions; permanently close their regular activity and adapt their services or manufacturing of services as per needs in the emergency response for which they will be compensated by the state budget as per agreements in place; prevent road taxing for all vehicles engaged in the emergency response. (IV) Citizens: comply with orders, measures of the civil protection